Review

Authors: John S Fuqua, Erica A Eugster

Spanning from bench to bedside, the history of normal and precocious puberty is characterized by a series of remarkable advances that have illuminated reproductive physiology and profoundly impacted clinical care. Early recognition of the hypothalamic and pituitary control of ovarian and testicular function led to the identification of GnRH as the key driver of pubertal onset. Decades later, discovery of the kisspeptin system further refined our understanding of human reproductive neuroendocrinology. Development of long-acting analogs of GnRH revolutionized the treatment of precocious puberty worldwide and ushered in the current era of an ever-expanding therapeutic armamentarium. Identification of monogenic etiologies of precocious puberty has further illustrated the exquisite complexity that comprises neurosecretory modulation of the hypothalamic GnRH neuron and may well lead to exciting novel targeted therapies.

Topics: Humans; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; Neuroendocrinology; Neurons; Puberty; Puberty, Precocious

PubMed: 36446322
DOI: 10.1159/000526464

Review

Authors: Sophie Behrman, Clair Crockett

Hormonal fluctuations in the perimenopause are associated with an array of physical and psychological symptoms. Those with pre-existing mental disorders may experience changes to their symptoms and response to treatment during the perimenopausal and postmenopausal periods and may also be at risk of poorer longer-term physical health outcomes in menopause. The transition towards menopause may be compounded by the oestradiol-suppressing effect of many psychotropics on the hypothalamopituitary-gonadal axis. A collaborative approach between primary care and secondary mental health services is an opportunity for proactive discussion of symptoms and support with management of the perimenopause. This may involve lifestyle measures and/or hormone replacement therapy, which can both lead to improvements in well-being and mental and physical health.

PubMed: 37955045
DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2023.89

Review

Authors: Ashley Kieran Clift, Mark Kidd, Lisa Bodei...

The traditionally promulgated perspectives of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN) as rare, indolent tumours are blunt and have been outdated for the last 2 decades. Clear increments in their incidence over the past decades render them increasingly clinically relevant, and at initial diagnosis many present with nodal and/or distant metastases (notably hepatic). The molecular pathogenesis of these tumours is increasingly yet incompletely understood. Those arising from the small bowel (SB) or pancreas typically occur sporadically; the latter may occur within the context of hereditary tumour predisposition syndromes. NENs can also be associated with endocrinopathy of hormonal hypersecretion. Tangible advances in the development of novel biomarkers, functional imaging modalities and therapy are especially applicable to this sub-set of tumours. The management of SB and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (NET) may be challenging, and often comprises a multidisciplinary approach wherein surgical, medical, interventional radiological and radiotherapeutic modalities are implemented. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of SB and pancreatic NETs. Moreover, we provide an outlook of the future in these tumour types which will include the development of precision oncology frameworks for individualised therapy, multi-analyte predictive biomarkers, artificial intelligence-derived clinical decision support tools and elucidation of the role of the microbiome in NEN development and clinical behaviour.

Topics: Humans; Intestinal Neoplasms; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Pancreatic Neoplasms

PubMed: 31557758
DOI: 10.1159/000503721

Review

Authors: Laura A Berner, Tiffany A Brown, Jason M Lavender...

The pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are still poorly understood, but psychobiological models have proposed a key role for disturbances in the neuroendocrines that signal hunger and satiety and maintain energy homeostasis. Mounting evidence suggests that many neuroendocrines involved in the regulation of homeostasis and body weight also play integral roles in food reward valuation and learning via their interactions with the mesolimbic dopamine system. Neuroimaging data have associated altered brain reward responses in this system with the dietary restriction and binge eating and purging characteristic of AN and BN. Thus, neuroendocrine dysfunction may contribute to or perpetuate eating disorder symptoms via effects on reward circuitry. This narrative review focuses on reward-related neuroendocrines that are altered in eating disorder populations, including peptide YY, insulin, stress and gonadal hormones, and orexins. We provide an overview of the animal and human literature implicating these neuroendocrines in dopaminergic reward processes and discuss their potential relevance to eating disorder symptomatology and treatment.

Topics: Animals; Anorexia Nervosa; Bulimia Nervosa; Ghrelin; Humans; Leptin; Neuroendocrinology; Reward

PubMed: 30395874
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.10.018

Review

Authors: Massimo Fioranelli, Anna G Bottaccioli, Francesco Bottaccioli...

Recent findings have deeply changed the current view of coronary heart disease, going beyond the simplistic model of atherosclerosis as a passive process involving cholesterol build-up in the subintimal space of the arteries until their final occlusion and/or thrombosis and instead focusing on the key roles of inflammation and the immune system in plaque formation and destabilization. Chronic inflammation is a typical hallmark of cardiac disease, worsening outcomes irrespective of serum cholesterol levels. Low-grade chronic inflammation correlates with higher incidence of several non-cardiac diseases, including depression, and chronic depression is now listed among the most important cardiovascular risk factors for poor prognosis among patients with myocardial infarction. In this review, we include recent evidence describing the immune and endocrine properties of the heart and their critical roles in acute ischaemic damage and in post-infarct myocardial remodeling. The importance of the central and autonomic regulation of cardiac functions, namely, the neuro-cardiac axis, is extensively explained, highlighting the roles of acute and chronic stress, circadian rhythms, emotions and the social environment in triggering acute cardiac events and worsening heart function and metabolism in chronic cardiovascular diseases. We have also included specific sections related to stress-induced myocardial ischaemia measurements and stress cardiomyopathy. The complex network of reciprocal interconnections between the heart and the main biological systems we have presented in this paper provides a new vision of cardiovascular science based on psychoneuroendocrineimmunology.

Topics: Animals; Circadian Rhythm; Coronary Artery Disease; Heart; Humans; Inflammation; Lipid Metabolism; Myocardial Ischemia; Myocardium; Neuroendocrinology; Psychoneuroimmunology; Risk Factors; Social Environment; Stress, Psychological

PubMed: 30237802
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02031

Authors: Vincent Prevot, Robert P Millar

Topics: Animals; Congresses as Topic; Humans; Neurons; Neurosecretory Systems; Reproduction; Stress, Physiological; Stress, Psychological

PubMed: 31365917
DOI: 10.1159/000502420

Authors: Thierry D Charlier

Topics: Neurosecretory Systems; Endocrine Disruptors

PubMed: 38071971
DOI: 10.1159/000535323

Authors: R Garcia-Carbonero, H Sorbye, E Baudin...

Topics: Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine; Humans; Intestinal Neoplasms; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Stomach Neoplasms

PubMed: 26731334
DOI: 10.1159/000443172

Authors: Elena Grineva

Topics: Humans; Hyperprolactinemia; Pituitary Neoplasms; Prolactinoma

PubMed: 31167201
DOI: 10.1159/000500723

Authors: B Niederle, U-F Pape, F Costa...

Topics: Consensus; Europe; Humans; Ileal Neoplasms; Jejunal Neoplasms; Neuroendocrine Tumors

PubMed: 26758972
DOI: 10.1159/000443170